8/27/15: Air Quality Report for NE Oregon and surrounding areas

Air Quality Report for Thursday August 27, 2015
NE Oregon, SE Washington and W Central Idaho            
Prepared by:  Greg Johnson, Air Resource Advisor
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, Baker City OR

Afternoon winds yesterday helped clear smoke from many areas, but areas downwind of fires experienced increased smoke loads at the same time.  Hot temperatures, low humidities and wind caused extreme fire activity on the Teepee Springs fire, and all others were very active.  Smoke from the explosive growth of the Canyon Creek fire near John Day spread smoke northward yesterday evening well into Baker and Union counties.  Smoke from the Grizzly Bear fire on the OR/WA border kept locations like Lewiston and Troy in the smoke most of the day.  Extremely smoky conditions and hazardous air quality continued in Riggins (from Teepee Springs fire), as well as some locations in the Nez Perce area (Kamiah).  Today will see temperatures again well into the 80s and 90s (Riggins reached 104 yesterday), likely leading to fire growth again.  Smoke production on most fires will be in full force today, so locations downwind of fires will again be very smoky.  Winds will increase on Friday and continue fairly strong through Sunday.  This will lead to much better dispersion, and areas just downwind of fires will probably be the only areas with extremely bad air quality this weekend.  It also will be much cooler Saturday, continuing through next week.  Unfortunately, most of this region will not have any significant rainfall for the next 5 days.
Air Quality Outlook:
Site		Thursday August 27	Friday August 28		Saturday August 29		Comments
Baker City		Moderate	Moderate		Moderate		Afternoon smoke from Canyon Ck fire
Elgin		USG	USG		Moderate		Night smoke from Grizzly Bear
Enterprise/Joseph		Unhealthy	USG		USG
Halfway		USG	USG		Moderate		Afternoon smoke thru Friday from Eagle fire
La Grande		USG	USG		Moderate		Night smoke from Grizzly Bear
Lewiston ID/Clarkston WA		Unhealthy	USG		USG		Grizzly Bear smoke should lessen after today
McCall ID		Good	Good		Good		Caution:  Only slight wind change could move smoke into McCall
Ontario/Payette ID		Good	Good		Good
Pendleton		USG	USG		Moderate
Riggins ID		Very Unhealthy	Very Unhealthy		Very Unhealthy		From Teepee Spring Fire
Troy		Very Unhealthy	Very Unhealthy		Very Unhealthy		From Grizzly Bear Fire
Vale		Good	Good		Good
Walla Walla WA		USG	USG		Moderate
Weiser ID		Good	Good		Good
AQI Index Actions to Protect Yourself Good Air quality is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk. Moderate Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people. For example, people who are unusually sensitive to ozone may experience respiratory symptoms. Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups - USG Although general public is not likely to be affected at this AQI range, people with lung disease, older adults and children are at a greater risk from exposure to ozone, whereas persons with heart and lung disease, older adults and children are at greater risk from the presence of particles in the air Unhealthy            Everyone may begin to experience some adverse health effects, and members of the sensitive groups may experience more serious effects. Very Unhealthy   This would trigger a health alert signifying that everyone may experience more serious health effects. Hazardous This would trigger a health warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected. Links:    Oregon Smoke Information:   http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/    AirNow:  www.airnow.gov    Idaho Smoke Information:  http://idsmoke.blogspot.com/    Washington Smoke Information:  http://wasmoke.blogspot.com/
Warning: These data have been obtained from automated instruments and have not been subjected to a quality assurance review to determine their accuracy. They are presented for public awareness and should not be considered final. Conditions such as power outages and equipment malfunctions can produce invalid data.
1 Since wildfires often occur in remote areas, air monitoring equipment may not be available. The following table provides a quick method to assess air quality in your area. For more detailed information you can go to the following site: http://www.deq.state.or.us/aq/burning/wildfires/visibility.htm
Using the 5-3-1 Visibility Index
Distance you can see*	You are:							You have:
	·  An adult ·  A teenager ·  An older child			·  Age 65 and over ·  Pregnant ·  A young child		OR		·  Asthma ·  Respiratory illness ·  Lung or heart disease
5 miles	check visibility			minimize outdoor activity
3 miles	minimize outdoor activity			stay inside
1 mile	stay inside			stay inside
No matter how far you can see, if you feel like you are having health effects from smoke exposure, take extra care to stay inside or get to an area with better air quality.  You should also see your doctor or other health professional as needed.
* less reliable under high humidity conditions